Jesus, the Main Meal
Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Holy Names Church
Memphis, TN
Have you noticed that for the past four weeks now Jesus has been trying to feed his people? The Lord has been trying to feed us. On the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, it was the miracle of five loaves of bread and two fish. On that very day, the Lord fed five thousand people to their satisfaction. The responsorial Psalm of that Sunday says “The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.” Overwhelmed by the miracle of food, the people wanted to carry Jesus off and make him their king. To prevent this from happening Jesus withdrew to the mountain.
On the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we continued with the Gospel of John 6. On this day, we read that when the crowd did not see Jesus and his disciples (because they had withdrawn from the people), the people got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. As soon as they found him, they exclaimed “Rabbi, when did you get here?” But Jesus did not waste time in telling them why they were actually looking for him: “Amen, amen I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life which the Son of Man will give you.” After a back and forth argument, the people wanted Jesus to give them the true bread from heaven. Jesus now used the occasion to tell them who he is “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
On the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the story continues. On this day, the people were not pleased with Jesus because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” Jesus’ listeners did not find his utterances funny. They knew his background. He was born in their midst; they watched him play around with other kids; they saw him go on errands for Mary; they saw him help Joseph in his Carpenter’s workshop. They know Jesus’ parents. So they were bewildered so hear him say he is the bread that came down from heaven. But their murmur did not deter Jesus at all. He went on to insist, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven, whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” The Lord is interested in feeding his people; he wants to feed us. In the First of reading of this Sunday (19th Sunday in Ordinary Time) taken from 1 Kings 19: 4-8, we understood why the Lord wants to feed us. Worn out after a long journey into the desert, Elijah wished and prayed for death saying “This is enough, O Lord! Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” Having fallen into deep sleep, the Man of God was woken from sleep by an angel who came to serve him bread and water: “Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you.” Jesus wants to feed us because he knows that the journey will be too long. He wants to feed us with the main meal.
Today being 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we are still in the same gospel of John, chapter 6. In verse 51, Jesus says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven, whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
Sisters and brothers, there is nothing like a good meal. When you are really hungry a good meal is especially good. First, it settles you down. I don’t know about you, but when I am hungry, I become nervous and jittery. When I am really hungry, I become highly unsettled. But a good meal settles me down. After a good meal, one is relaxed and sometimes ready to sleep. Apart from settling the starved, a good meal also gives strength. Hunger weakens a person. But a good meal can give strength.
The five thousand people were hungry. Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish and fed them to their satisfaction. That must have been a good meal because after that, the people started looking for Jesus. But Jesus disappointed them when he said “I am the bread of life.” Some people thought that Jesus was going crazy. Of course we cannot blame them. If someone walks into the Church and makes the same claim: “I am the bread from heaven” we will think of him as needing a psychiatric attention.
When we hear Jesus say he is the living bread that came down from heaven, we think of the Eucharist we receive at every Mass. But the Lord is also saying “I am the main meal.” He is saying he is the main food. The main meal is that part that fills us up and nourishes us the most. The main meal is the steak and potatoes or chicken and rice. The salad, soup and other desert are wonderful, but the main meal makes or breaks the meal.
The Lord is saying he is the main meal. Every other food we eat may be wonderful, but they are not the main meal. Every other food we eat is either appetizers or deserts. Jesus is the main meal that fills us up. The steaks, barbecue ribs, Gumbo, jambalaya, pasta, rice etc we eat only blend with your body. But the main meal becomes one with us. When we eat him in the right disposition, we become what we eat; we become the body of Christ.
Dearest beloved, Jesus is the main meal. He wants to feed us. Are you hungry? Are you growing weak spiritually? Do you feel nervous and jittery because your soul’s blood sugar is low? Are you getting tired? Like Elijah, are you asking God to come and take your life? Like Elijah, are you worn out from the long journey of life? You may need a good meal; you may need to eat the main meal. Jesus invites you today. He is the bread of life. He wants to feed you because the journey is far.
Jesus is the only Soul food that can give eternal life. Other things may fill the emptiness for a while, but they are just empty spiritual calories. If you want to be truly filled and never hunger again, you have to feed on Jesus. You have to dine on him. Allow his presence to fill your emptiness. Keep him at the center of your life. Allow Jesus to feed you. The journey is so far; the journey can wear you out. You need Jesus to strengthen you. He is the living bread that came down from heaven.
